Junior doctor paid more than €136,000 in overtime

ONE JUNIOR doctor in the midwest last year received more than €136,000 in overtime payments, the Health Service Executive (HSE) confirmed yesterday.

According to records released through the Freedom of Information Act, junior doctors in the midwest received a total of €10.67 million in overtime payments in 2010.

The payment, of €136,692 to a registrar operating in medicine at Limerick’s Midwest Regional Hospital, represents more than a doubling of the pay-rates to registrars that range from €50,578 to €60,305.

The figures show that the next highest overtime earning doctor was a registrar engaged in oral and maxillofacial surgery who received €94,368, with a house officer working in the ear, nose and throat department at the Midwest Regional Hospital in receipt of €92,429.

The overall payout of €10.67 million represents a 10 per cent decrease on the €11.9 million paid out in overtime to junior doctors in the midwest in 2009.

The figures show that 14 of the top 20 recipients were junior doctors based at the Midwest Regional Hospital.The top 20 received a total of €1.5 million in overtime payments last year.

Dr Anthony O’Connor of the non-consultant hospital doctor committee of Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said yesterday that junior doctors had no choice but to work the long hours.

“None of this overtime is optional and the long hours have a serious impact on home life, your quality of life and your health,” he said.

Dr O’Connor said he was currently working 70-75 hours per week. “The long hours are a burden and it makes it difficult on family relationships and having any hobbies.”

Having studied the election manifestos of all of the major parties, he said he couldn’t see any proposals that addressed the junior doctors’ overtime issue.

“The obvious thing is rather than having 10 junior doctors working 70 hours, it would be far better to have 15 junior doctors working 40 hours, but that would be more costly to the HSE.”

Labour Health spokeswoman, Jan O’Sullivan, said yesterday: “My chief concern about the junior doctors’ overtime is for patient safety and with the long hours junior doctors work, you would have to question if this is safe. It has to be ended.”

She said Labour’s proposed “fundamental reform” of the health system would tackle the issue of junior doctors’ overtime through a consultant-led service.

Figures from the IMO show that pay-rates for junior doctors range from €33,619 for an intern to €76,071 for the most experienced specialist registrar.